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NASA NTRS2012

On Advanced Estimation Techniques for Exoplanet Detection and Characterization using Ground-Based Coronagraphs

The direct imaging of planets around nearby stars is exceedingly difficult. Only about 14 exoplanets have been imaged to date that have masses less than 13 times that of Jupiter. The next generation of planet-finding coronagraphs, including VLT-SPHERE, the Gemini Planet Imager, Palomar P1640, and Subaru HiCIAO have predicted contrast performance of roughly a thousand times less than would be needed to detect Earth-like planets. In this paper we review the state of the art in exoplanet imaging, most notably the method of Locally Optimized Combination of Images (LOCI), and we investigate the potential of improving the detectability of faint exoplanets through the use of advanced statistical methods based on the concepts of the ideal observer and the Hotelling observer. We provide a formal comparison of techniques through a blind data challenge and evaluate performance using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and Localization ROC (LROC) curves. We place particular emphasis on the understanding and modeling of realistic sources of measurement noise in ground-based AO-corrected coronagraphs. The work reported in this paper is the result of interactions between the co-authors during a week-long workshop on exoplanet imaging that was held in Squaw Valley, California, in March of 2012.

instrumentation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Hubble Space Telescope in a New Era of Astrophysics

The Hubble Space Telescope continues to achieve incredible scientific advances at the forefront of astrophysics after 33 years, thanks to 5 astronaut servicing missions, creative scientists, and an innovative technical ground team. What will Hubble’s role be in the new eras of the Webb, Roman, and Habitable Worlds space observatories? This talk will cover Hubble’s recent discoveries and future importance in realms ranging from the solar system and exoplanets to distant galaxies and cosmology. Hubble will play a key role for years to come in high priority science including Time Domain and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (TDAMM), exoplanet characterization, and a full range of ultraviolet astronomy. Hubble’s unique capabilities complement those of Webb and future ground and space-based observatories and probes.

Jennifer J Wiseman↗
NASA NTRS2026

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next large space telescope, selected by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics to search for and characterize habitable exoplanets while enabling a broad range of transformative astrophysics. In August 2024, the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office (TMPO) was formed to begin exploring the HWO science, technology, and mission architectures toward a Mission Concept Review (MCR) at the end of the decade. A primary deliverable of this effort is this technology development plan that identifies critical technologies that enable the mission, defines a process for assessing the readiness of those technologies, and outlines a strategy for developing those technologies to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 before the MCR. This document covers technologies organized along three “tracks”: Coronagraph System technologies, Ultra-stable Telescope System technologies, and High-sensitivity Ultraviolet and Visible Instrumentation technologies. Additional emerging and enhancing technologies are also discussed.

technology development↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next large space telescope, selected by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics to search for and characterize habitable exoplanets while enabling a broad range of transformative astrophysics. In August 2024, the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office (TMPO) was formed to begin exploring the HWO science, technology, and mission architectures toward a Mission Concept Review (MCR) at the end of the decade. A primary deliverable of this effort is a technology development plan that identifies critical technologies that enable the mission, defines a process for assessing the readiness of those technologies, and outlines a strategy for developing those technologies to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 before the MCR. In this paper we summarize the HWO technology development plan which comprises three “tracks”: Coronagraph System technologies, Ultra-stable Telescope System technologies, and High-sensitivity Ultraviolet and Visible Instrumentation technologies. Each track has completed an initial assessment of technology gaps, prioritized the gaps for investment, and laid out development roadmaps to mature candidate technologies to close those gaps.

Matthew R Bolcar↗
NASA NTRS2011

Exoplanets, Exo-Solar Life, and Human Significance

With the recent detection of over 500 extrasolar planets, the existence of "other worlds", perhaps even other Earths, is no longer in the realm of science fiction. The study of exoplanets rapidly moved from an activity on the fringe of astronomy to one of the highest priorities of the world's astronomical programs. Actual images of extrasolar planets were revealed over the past two years for the first time. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is already characterizing the atmospheres of Jupiter-like planets, in other systems. And the recent launch of the NASA Kepler space telescope is enabling the first statistical assessment of how common solar systems like our own really are. As we begin to characterize these "other worlds" and assess their habitability, the question of the significance and uniqueness of life on Earth will impact our society as never before. I will provide a comprehensive overview of the techniques and status of exoplanet detection, followed by reflections as to the societal impact of finding out that Earths are common, or rare. Will finding other potentially habitable planets create another "Copernican Revolution"? Will perceptions of the significance of life on Earth change when we find other Earth-like planets? I will discuss the plans of the scientific community for future telescopes that will be abe to survey our solar neighborhood for Earth-like planets, study their atmospheres, and search for biological signs of life.

Wiseman, Jennifer↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Exoplanet Microlensing Survey by the Proposed WFIRST Observatory

The New Worlds, New Horizons report released by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey Board in 2010 listed the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) as the highest-priority large space mission for the . coming decade. This observatory will provide wide-field imaging and slitless spectroscopy at near infrared wavelengths. The scientific goals are to obtain a statistical census of exoplanets using gravitational microlensing. measure the expansion history of and the growth of structure in the Universe by multiple methods, and perform other astronomical surveys to be selected through a guest observer program. A Science Definition Team has been established to assist NASA in the development of a Design Reference Mission that accomplishes this diverse array of science programs with a single observatory. In this paper we present the current WFIRST payload concept and the expected capabilities for planet detection. The observatory. with science goals that are complimentary to the Kepler exoplanet transit mission, is designed to complete the statistical census of planetary systems in the Galaxy, from habitable Earth-mass planets to free floating planets, including analogs to all of the planets in our Solar System except Mercury. The exoplanet microlensing survey will observe for 500 days spanning 5 years. This long temporal baseline will enable the determination of the masses for most detected exoplanets down to 0.1 Earth masses.

Barry, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2021

What it Takes to Compute Highly Accurate Rovibrational Line Lists for Use in Astrochemistry

We review the Best Theory + Reliable High-resolution Experiment (BTRHE) strategy for obtaining highly accurate molecular rovibrational line lists with InfraRed (IR) intensities. The need for highly accurate molecular rovibrational line lists is two-fold: a) assignment of the many rovibrational lines for common stable molecules especially those that exhibit a large amplitude motion, such as NH3, or have a high density of states such as SO2; and b) characterization of the atmospheres of exoplanets which will be one of the main areas of research in astronomy in the coming decades. The first motivation arises due to the need to eliminate lines due to common molecules in an astronomical observation in order to identify lines from new molecules, while the second motivation arises due to the need to obtain accurate molecular opacities in order to characterize the atmosphere of an exoplanet. The BTRHE strategy first consists of using high quality ab initio quantum chemical methods to obtain a global potential energy surface (PES) and dipole moment surface (DMS) that contains the proper physics. The global PES is then refined using a subset of the reliable high-resolution experimental data. The refined PES then gives energy level predictions to an accuracy similar to the reproduction accuracy of the experimental data used in the refinement step in the interpolation region (i.e., within the range of the experimental data used in the refinement step). The accuracy of the energy levels will slowly degrade as they are extrapolated to spectral regions beyond the high-resolution experimental data used in the refinement step. However, because the degradation is slow, the predicted energy levels can be used to assign new high-resolution experiments, and the data from these can then be used in a subsequent refinement step. In this way, the global PES eventually can yield highly accurate energy levels for all desired spectral regions including to very high energies and high J values. We show that IR intensities computed with the BTRHE rovibrational wavefunctions and the DMS can be very accurate provided one has minimized the fitting error of the DMS and tested the completeness of the DMS. Some examples of our work on NH3, CO2, and SO2 are given to highlight the usefulness of the BTRHE strategy and to provide ideas on how to further improve its predictive power in the future. In particular, it is shown how successive refinement steps, once new high-resolution data is available, can lead to PESs that yield highly accurate transition energies to larger spectral regions. The importance of including non-adiabatic corrections to reduce the J-dependence of errors for H-containing molecules is shown with work on NH3. Another very important aspect of the BTRHE approach is the consistency across isotopologues, which allows for highly accurate line lists for any isotopologue once one is obtained for the main isotopologue (which has more high-resolution data available for refinement).

Xinchuan Huang↗
NASA NTRS2008

STEPS: JPL's Astrometric Exoplanet Survey

Presentation topics include: STEPS ground-based astrometry at Hale Telescope; the instrument; why astronomy and why M-dwarfs; motion of center of light about center of mass in photocentric orbit; photocentric motion vs. fractional mass; high-resolution imaging of STEPS targets; GU 802 p one possible orbit plotted with data, Keplerian frame; GJ 802 results; STEPS future; and a bibliography of STEPS papers.

astrometry↗
NASA NTRS2017

Biosignatures of Exoplanets

There was a time during Western civilization when musing about worlds other than Earth could be life-threatening. In 1600 Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake as a heretic for claiming, amongst other things, that the fixed stars were in fact suns with planets moving around them, and furthermore, that lifeforms similar to those on Earth might exist on these planets. Although these ideas were not the result of scientific observation but rather of philosophical reflexions, Giordano Bruno is today recognized as the father of the idea of exoplanets. The study of planets revolving around distant stars has become one of the most thrilling disciplines in astronomy. As it did 400 years ago, this subject touches on the most profound questions of mankind, including the uniqueness of the planet Earth and even our own uniqueness as an intelligent species. As always in astronomy distance is an issue. While it requires a lot of patience to reach the planets within our own solar system, direct visits to exoplanets will not be feasible in the foreseeable future. Is there an alternative approach to find a second Earth?

Kiang, Nancy Y.↗
NASA NTRS2024

FLUTE: Fluidic Telescope

The future of space-based UV/optical/IR astronomy requires ever larger telescopes. The highest priority astrophysics targets (including Earth-like exoplanets, first generation stars, and early galaxies) are all extremely faint, which presents an ongoing challenge for current missions and is the opportunity space for next generation telescopes: larger telescopes are the primary way to address this issue. The FLUTE project aims to revolutionize space astronomy (and in-space manufacturing of high-precision optics for a variety of other applications) by leveraging the physics of wetting and hydrostatic phenomena in microgravity. The approach being developed by the team uses surface tension to shape a liquid into a desired optical form with sub-nanometer surface quality. A liquid with appropriate optical properties is brought into contact with a high affinity bounding frame, resulting in pinning of the liquid to the frame. In microgravity, the shape of the free surface is dictated solely by surface tension, thus assuming the shape of a spherical cap. Further dynamic control over the shape is possible through changing the liquid volume, the frame geometry, and — if desired — with the addition of external forces (e.g., electromagnetic forces). The approach is scale-invariant and is expected to enable space telescopes with optical apertures measuring in tens or even hundreds of meters, allowing, for instance, direct imaging of extra-solar planets. Both refractive and reflective optical components can be created using this approach. If the liquid’s properties enable solidification (e.g., a liquid metal), the resulting component can then become an optical-grade solid object, without post-processing steps. The approach has been successfully validated in a laboratory neutral buoyancy environment, in parabolic microgravity flights, and in experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). FLUTE is a collaboration between NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. More on information on FLUTE can be found at https://www.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/what-is-the-fluidic-telescope/. This presentation provides an update on the project's accomplishments to-date and discusses next steps.

Space observatory↗
NASA NTRS2017

Advanced Environmentally Resistant Lithium Fluoride Mirror Coatings for the Next Generation of Broadband Space Observatories

Recent advances in the physical vapor deposition (PVD) of protective fluoride films have raised the far-ultraviolet (FUV: 912-1600 A) reflectivity of aluminum-based mirrors closer to the theoretical limit. The greatest gains, at more than 20%, have come for lithium fluoride-protected aluminum, which has the shortest wavelength cutoff of any conventional overcoat. Despite the success of the NASA FUSE mission, the use of lithium fluoride (LiF)-based optics is rare, as LiF is hygroscopic and requires handling procedures that can drive risk. With NASA now studying two large mission concepts for astronomy, Large UV-Optical-IR Surveyor (LUVOIR) and the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx), which mandate throughput down to 1000 , the development of LiF-based coatings becomes crucial. This paper discusses steps that are being taken to qualify these new enhanced LiF-protected aluminum (eLiF) mirror coatings for flight. In addition to quantifying the hygroscopic degradation, we have developed a new method of protecting eLiF with an ultrathin (10-20 A) capping layer of a nonhygroscopic material to increase durability. We report on the performance of eLiF-based optics and assess the steps that need to be taken to qualify such coatings for LUVOIR, HabEx, and other FUV-sensitive space missions.

Fleming, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2012

Building the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. It will be a large (6.6m) cold (50K) telescope launched into orbit around the second Earth-Sun Lagrange point. It is a partnership of NASA with the European and Canadian Space Agencies. JWST will make progress In almost every area of astronomy, from the first galaxies to form in the early universe to exoplanets and Solar System objects. Webb will have four instruments: The Near-Infrared Camera, the Near-Infrared multi-object Spectrograph, and the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph will cover the wavelength range 0.6 to 5 microns, while the Mid-Infrared Instrument will do both imaging and spectroscopy from 5 to 28.5 microns. The observatory Is confirmed for launch in 2018; the design is complete and it is in its construction phase. Innovations that make JWST possible include large-area low-noise infrared detectors, cryogenic ASICs, a MEMS micro-shutter array providing multi-object spectroscopy, a non-redundant mask for interferometric coronagraphy and diffraction-limited segmented beryllium mirrors with active wavefront sensing and control. Recent progress includes the completion of the mirrors, the delivery of the first flight instruments and the start of the integration and test phase.

Gardner, Jonathan P.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Linking Strategic Astrophysics Missions, Technology Gaps, and Technology Maturation Investments

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Astrophysics Division (APD) funds the development of cutting-edge technologies through multiple programs to enable its strategic missions to achieve ambitious and groundbreaking science goals. These technology development efforts are managed by the Cosmic Origins (COR), Exoplanet Exploration (ExE), and Physics of the Cosmos (PhysCOS) programs. The 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s,” (Astro2020) recommended a pan-chromatic set of missions, including three Great Observatories (GO) and three Probe-class missions that could collect unprecedented data over the coming decades. We show the correlation between these strategic missions and the current Astrophysics technology gaps, as well as recent and current technology maturation projects funded to help close these technology gaps. We also cover how these investments advanced their Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) [1] and where they have been infused into missions and projects.

SAT↗
NASA NTRS2015

WFIRST-AFTA Presentation to the NRC Mid-Decadal Panel

Over the past two years, increased funding has enabled significant progress in technology matura1on as well as addi1onal fidelity in the design reference mission. WFIRST with the 2.4-­‐m telescope and coronagraph provides an exci1ng science program, superior to that recommended by NWNH and also advances exoplanet imaging technology (the highest ranked medium-­‐class NWNH recommenda1on). Great opportunity for astronomy and astrophysics discoveries. Broad community support for WFIRST. Key development areas are anchored in a decade of investments in JPL's HCIT and GSFC's DCL. Great progress made in pre-­‐formula1on, ready for KDP-­‐A and launch in mid-­‐2020s.

Astronomy↗
NASA NTRS2021

Origins Space Telescope: From First Light to Life

The Origins Space Telescope ( Origins ) is one of four science and technology definition studies selected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in preparation of the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal survey in the US. Origins will trace the history of our origins from the time dust and heavy elements permanently altered the cosmic landscape to present-day life. It is designed to answer three major science questions: How do galaxies form stars, make metals, and grow their central supermassive black holes from reionization? How do the conditions for habitability develop during the process of planet formation? Do planets orbiting M-dwarf stars support life? Origins operates at mid- to far-infrared wavelengths from ~ 2.8 to 588 μm, is more than 1000 times more sensitive than prior far-IR missions due to its cold (~ 4.5 K) aperture and state-of-the-art instruments.

Spaceborne astrophysics↗
NASA NTRS2019

Overview of the Optomechanical Design of the LUVOIR Instruments

The Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is a space telescope being submitted for review to the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Its science objectives include both direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of planet, star, and galaxy formation, the transfer of matter between different galaxies, and the remote sensing of objects within the Solar System. Two architectures have been designed: a 15 m diameter on-axis telescope (LUVOIR-A) and an 8 m off-axis telescope (LUVOIR-B). This paper discusses the opto-mechanical design of the three LUVOIR instruments: the High Definition Imager (HDI), the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), and the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS). For both the LUVOIR-A and LUVOIR-B variants of each instrument, optical design specifications are presented including first-order constraints, packaging requirements, and optical performance metrics. These factors are used to illustrate the final design of each instrument and LUVOIR as a whole. In addition to the optical designs, mechanical models are presented for each instrument showing the optical mounts, mechanisms, support structure, etc.

Decadal Study↗
NASA NTRS2009

Expolanet community report

The Exoplanet Community Report surveys the rapidly emerging field of exoplanet science. This survey is intended to assess the state of the art and also support the Committee and panels of the 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey, organized by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. Each of the eight chapters in this volume summarizes the issues, scientific potential, state-of-the-art, and technology needed for the respective observational technique. Our tempered optimism in each area springs from our belief that exoplanet science is the most exciting new area in astrophysics, for scientists and the public alike.

Unwin, S. C.↗